Otley is a medieval market town in Wharfedale. It is situated beneath a hillside called ‘The Chevin’, the name Otley comes from ‘The woodland clearing of a man named Otta’. The town dates from Saxon times, King Athelstan granted the manor in 937. In 1069 William I destroyed the town. However Otley soon developed as a centre for the woollen industry, in 1222 a fair was held here and a weekly market followed in 1248. Today Otley is a small town rich in history. It has a market square surrounded by shops, old pubs, alleyways and cafes. Otley once had more pubs than anywhere else but sadly many of these have now disappeared. There are many events held annually in the town and Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday s are the street market days. In the TV soap ‘Emmerdale’, Otley is Hotten. ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘A touch of Frost’ have also been filmed here. This tour should take you around some of the interesting and/or historical sights of the town and the final cache is at a site not too far away.
The cache is hidden in a 1 litre plastic box in a bag. There are nine virtual locations to visit all in easy walking distance in the town and these provide clues to the final cache site. There are no hints provided as all the information necessary is in the text. You can do the clues in any order. Use the coordinates below and substitute numbers for the letters as explained in the text part of the cache. Enjoy your tour and good luck.
The cache can be found at N 53° AB.CDE W 001° FG.HJK
A N53° 54.221 W001° 41.835 Musgrave Hall – Take the year it was built as PQRS, now Q - R = A
B N53° 54.394 W001° 41.642 Thomas Chippendale stands near here, the number of windows just above the old studded door, to the left of the blue plaque = B
C N53° 54.515 W001° 41.758 This bridge over the River Wharfe is thought to be the oldest bridge in Yorkshire, the pedestrian walkway attached to it is going to be removed to restore the bridge to some of its former state. The number of arches under the bridge + 1 = C
D & E N53° 54.269 W001° 41.688 The Navvies Monument is a replica of the nearby Bramhope Tunnel erected to the many men who lost their lives in constructing it. This is now a grade II listed building. Some 2DE0 navvies worked 12 hour shifts.
F N53° 54.332 W001° 41.607 The Black Bull pub is the oldest inn in Otley. It was reputedly drunk dry by Cromwell’s troops on the eve before a battle. Which battle was it?
- If it was Aldwalton Moor, then F = 1
- If it was Newbury, then F = 2
- If it was Marston Moor, then F = 3
- If it was Naseby, then F = 4
G N53° 54.395 W 001° 41.679 The Manor House, which was built by Matthew Wilson in the grounds of the Medieval Manor House of the Archbishop Of York. Take the year it was built as WXYZ and substitute Y for G
H N53° 54.368 W001° 41.654 Thomas Chippendale, the world famous cabinet maker was born in Otley in mnpq, where p = H
J N53°54. 328 W001° 41.651 The hub of the town of Otley. The date that the stone was presented by the Belgian Refugees is rstv, substitute s for J
K N53° 54.368 W001° 41.654 ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet Makers Director’ was published in wxyz where z = K
Due to tree cover near the cache site GPS reading may be unrealiable so we have provided two spoiler photos of the cache location.